Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Monday represented ranking-release day, as the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20s included some changes in each of the six NCAA segments of play.
Maryland is No. 1 on the men's side; ditto Stony Brook on the women's side.
Have a look at the various major-college and junior-college polls released on Monday...
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
MD1 | WD1 | MD2 | WD2 | MD3 | WD3
Maverik-Cascade/IL Media Polls
MD1 | WD1
USILA Polls
MD1 | MD2 | MD3
IWLCA Polls
WD1 | WD2 | WD3
NJCAA Polls
Men | Women
2. ...But perhaps not for long in Division I men's play, as yesterday No. 4 Denver knocked No. 11 North Carolina from the ranks of the unbeaten, 10-6, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Pioneers got a fourth-straight hat trick from sophomore Ethan Walker and a fourth-quarter shutout by its defense to grind out the victory. Following an early 5-0 run, Denver never allowed the Tar Heels to get closer than two goals the rest of the way, thanks in part to a 30-20 advantage in ground balls and a season-high nine saves by junior Alex Ready. Senior Chris Cloutier's 100th career goal highlighted the day for North Carolina.
Denver has another biggie on the road this weekend, traveling to western rival and No. 7 Notre Dame Saturday. The Tar Heels head north to Long Island for a matchup against Hofstra.
NCAA Division I Men Monday Scoreboard
No. 4 Denver 10, No. 11 North Carolina 6
Hampton 11, Westminster 5
3. On the women's side, yesterday top-ranked Stony Brook concluded a successful trip through the Midwest with a 16-3 defeat of Michigan.
A 9-0 run to finish the first half gave the Seawolves a commanding 10-2 lead. Coach Joe Spallina praised his squad's passing proficiency, each of Stony Brook's 11 non-free position goals came via an assist. Saturday the Seawolves jumped on then-No. 13 Northwestern, 4-1, en route to a 15-10 victory.
Elsewhere, Canisius gave alumna Allison Daley her first win as a collegiate head coach. Perhaps the best goalie in program history, Daley served as an assistant coach at Canisius, Binghamton and Delaware before replacing Scott Teeters in the offseason.
NCAA Division I Women Monday Scoreboard
No. 1 Stony Brook 16, Michigan 3
California 12, Robert Morris 7
Canisius 13, Binghamton 12
Cincinnati 12, Detroit Mercy 10
San Diego State 22, Presbyterian 2
Vanderbilt 19, William & Mary 6
4. No. 2 Albany faceoff midfielder TD Ierlan won all 24 of his faceoffs and scooped up 22 ground balls against Cornell Saturday to earn Warrior/US Lacrosse Player of the Week honors.
The Great Danes needed every single stat he recorded, as they scored four goals in the final 3:18 to escape the Big Red, 11-9, before a 2,715 fans that braved snow flurries and 36-degree temperatures in Albany. The school offered members of US Lacrosse a discount on tickets to the game, one of several colleges to participate in a membership-benefit program.
5. Strong performances throughout February have earned South Carolina's Derek Isaac and Baylor's Trey Cambere the US Lacrosse-Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association Player of the Month awards.
Isaac won 74 percent (55 of 72) of his faceoffs to help the Gamecocks ascend to No. 11 in the MCLA poll, while Cambere scored 41 goals and added 19 assists in an explosive eight-game month.
6. In his weekly National Lacrosse League notebook, Neil Stevens leads with a look at Colorado goalie Steve Fryer.
The six-year league veteran had never started a game until the weekend, but he debuted in style. Fryer made 45 saves to help preserve an 8-7 win over Buffalo, earning a standing ovation from 16,000 Mammoth fans in Denver.